


can't believe i get to know you

by dont_you_cry



Series: can't get enough so stay [2]
Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Established Relationship, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, mike drags jeff to ikea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-15
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2019-05-23 17:45:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14938937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dont_you_cry/pseuds/dont_you_cry
Summary: true love is one that can survive a trip to ikea





	can't believe i get to know you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bananamuffin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bananamuffin/gifts).



> this is a continuation to a piece i wrote back at the end of 2016. you don't need to read part one for this to make sense, but it does explain how this version of richiecarts got together. i wrote this as a surprise for kelsey and she helped make sure the last one made sense so if there's any typos/mistakes i apologize!

Mike slowly walks through the airport terminal towards the arrivals exit, scrolling through his phone as he goes. He knows Jeff is going to be late picking him up even though he sent his flight information two weeks ago. It’s just how Jeff is.

His phone buzzes with a text confirming his suspicion.

**Jeff** : _sorry!! omw now, be there in 10 promise._

Mike chuckles and slips his phone into his back pocket before putting on his sunglasses and heading to wait outside. The temperature in Columbus seems to be about the same it was back home and he’s glad he’d shoved his jacket into his carry-on bag.

His phone buzzes in his pocket and he half expects it to be Jeff again—even though he’s constantly reminding him not to text and drive—but instead, he sees Patrick’s face on his screen and hits accept on the call.

“Hey Sharpy,” Mike answers. “What’s going on? I just landed in Ohio.”

He scans the cars arriving to pick up their loved ones looking for Jeff while waiting for Sharpy to answer him.

“Glad to hear you made it in one piece,” Sharpy replies. “I told you to text me when you landed! Is your boy there yet?”

Mike groans. “I’ve been here all of 15 minutes. I’m sorry I didn’t text you fast enough, Dad,” he says back sarcastically. “And no he’s not here yet you know he’s always at least 10 minutes late.”

“Forgive me for wanting to know you’re safe Mikey,” Sharpy says back. “I just wanted to make sure you told Jeff I said hi, seeing as he’s been dodging my calls for the past week.”

Mike is a little surprised to hear that. Jeff had been a little less responsive since moving out to Columbus for grad school last month, but it wasn’t like him to ignore his friends—especially not Sharpy.

“I’m sure he’s just been busy,” is what Mike says back though. “Things are a little crazy for him right now.”

Mike hears a honk and looks around, spotting Jeff in his new SUV. He gives a wave and bends down to pick up his bag.

“Hey Sharpy I gotta go,” Mike interrupts whatever Patrick had been about to say. “I’ll call ya later, promise.”

He hangs up the phone and walks to Jeff’s car, rolling his eyes a bit at Jeff’s choice.

“Nice car,” he quips as he throws his bag in the backseat before getting in. “We picking the kids up from soccer practice after this or what?”

Jeff laughs. “Shut the fuck up,” he says. “The sales guy talked me into it. He was very convincing and turns out he was right. This _is_ the perfect car for me.”

Mike rolls his eyes again, but he can’t help the smile that stretches across his lips when he hears Jeff laugh. It’s been this way since that very first night they met in Vegas and he hopes the feeling never goes away.

He moves to lean over the center console to kiss Jeff (five weeks without kissing Jeff was entirely five weeks too long) but doesn’t even get halfway before the car behind them starts honking.

Jeff sticks his hand out the window in a ‘sorry’ gesture and pulls out from where he stopped the car while Mike slumps back in his seat and puts his seatbelt on.

“Later,” Jeff says. He glances over at Mike and gives him a smile before turning his attention back to the road as traffic begins to move.

“Yeah,” Mike says and gives a smirk back. “Laters, baby.”

“Oh my god,” Jeff groans. “We watched that awful Fifty Shades movie _one time_ and you continue to quote it to this day.”

“Hey! It’s a cute line from a crappy movie. I take what I can get,” Mike says. He throws in a fake pout for good measure and holds it until Jeff throws a glance his way.

“You’re lucky I like you,” Jeff grumbles back, but switches to driving with his left hand so he can hold Mike’s with his right. Mike takes that to mean that Jeff secretly likes when he says it.

Jeff navigates the car onto the freeway and has Mike hit “home” on the car’s navigation screen.

“I’m still not totally sure of my way around yet,” Jeff admits. “I figured we could go to the apartment first and then figure out what we want to do for dinner later.”

It sounds fine to Mike so he keeps quiet and watches the city pass by.

\---

Jeff’s apartment isn’t too far from Ohio State’s campus, but it isn’t so close that he’s surrounded by 21 year-olds either. He’d told Mike that most of the people in the complex were either grad students like him or a bit older with careers.

It’s a nice looking place on the outside—way nicer than the apartment Mike was going to be living in while he finished his ninth semester of undergrad in the fall (his victory lap, Sharpy had called it). There’s lots of grassy areas, basketball courts and a huge pool in the center of the complex.

He follows Jeff up a set of stairs and down a hallway where Jeff stops and slips a key into the door.

“Welcome to Casa de Carter,” Jeff jokes as he opens the door and steps inside. “It’s not much but—”

Mike cuts him off with the kiss he’d been waiting for ever since Jeff had honked at him outside the airport. Jeff stiffens in surprise before leaning his back against the closed front door, bringing Mike with him.

Mike’s hands are on Jeff’s hips and Jeff has one in Mike’s hair and one cupping his face. The angle is a little awkward, but neither of them care.

Jeff pulls his head back for air and Mike begins pressing kisses on his neck and chest, his fingers moving under the hem of Jeff’s shirt.

“Bedroom’s that way,” Jeff breathes, jerking his head in its direction.

Mike doesn’t respond, just keeps kissing so Jeff moves and backs Mike towards the hallway where his room is. He helps Mike pull his shirt off and plans to get them on his bed when he realizes Mike hasn’t moved towards it.

“What the hell is this,” Mike asks looking a little irritated.

“Uhhh,” Jeff responds. “My room?”

Mike levels him a look.

“Really? Where’s your bed?”

Jeff stares at his mattress laying on the floor and then looks back at Mike.

“It’s uhh...right there?” he phrases it like a question. He can’t believe Mike stopped kissing him to ask questions about his bed. It’s been five _long_ weeks since they’ve seen each other and phone sex was nothing like the real thing.

“That’s not a bed. That’s a mattress. On the floor,” Mike tells him.

“Where’s your bed frame?” Mike asks. “Actually,” he starts and looks around the room. “Where’s any of the furniture that’s, ya know, _supposed_ to be in a bedroom?”

Jeff sees what Mike’s getting at now, but he really doesn’t care. He’s missed Mike like crazy and doesn’t want to talk about room decor of all things right now.

He gets close to Mike and presses a kiss against his jaw. “C’mon Richie,” he pleads. “Can’t we discuss this later?”

“No!” Mike responds and steps away. “And don’t pull that ‘Richie’ crap on me. I’m not having sex with you when your mattress is on the floor.”

Jeff groans and leans against the wall, knowing Mike is being serious. In their almost two years of dating he’d learned when it was worth trying to talk Mike out of something and when it was best to just go with it. This was one of the go with it times.

His mattress was on the floor and his clothes were still in boxes because even though he’d known for months that he’d be moving to Columbus on his own he wasn’t prepared for how lonely he’d feel.

When he’d starting applying for grad schools he hoped that Mike would want to come with him wherever he ended up. He was going to ask, but when he’d finally decided on Ohio State, Mike had found out he needed two extra classes to finish and would have to stay in Philadelphia for an extra semester. They had the whole long-distance talk and he was confident in their relationship, but the distance was already hard.

It didn’t help that Sharpy had been sending him pictures of their group of friends hanging out on boats and at bars. Mike was always the focus in the shots and it made him so homesick he’d considered moving back three times. He’d been dodging Sharpy’s texts and calls for the past week because he knew he’d see right through the fake cheerful voice he’d been using on Mike.

“Hey, hey what’s wrong?” Mike asks, standing in front of Jeff. He rests his hands on either side of Jeff’s face. “Talk to me, please.”

Jeff stares down at Mike, picking a spot in the middle of Mike’s forehead so he doesn’t have to look in his eyes. He doesn’t know how to tell him what he’s been feeling. He doesn’t really understand it himself. He chews on the corner of his lip considering what he should say.

“I just,” he starts. “I just...miss you,” he finishes weakly.

Mike makes a noise at that and grips Jeff’s face tighter.

“I miss you too, babe. But you and I both know that’s not all that’s going on,” Mike says, smiling a bit. There’s still worry in his eyes and Jeff wishes he could tell him something that would make it go away. 

“Being here is hard,” Jeff carefully says. “It’s not like Philly and I don’t know anyone here really and I miss you.”

Mike’s brow furrows a bit. He looks around the room again.

“And so that’s why your bed is still on the floor?” he questions. “I’m still a bit confused here.”

Jeff huffs a bit, feeling irritation creep up his spine. He’s not mad with Mike or his questions, but he really doesn’t want to talk about it.

“My bed is still on the floor because there’s no point on getting furniture for a place I’m not going to stay in,” he snaps before closing his mouth. He didn’t mean to say that. Now the idea that’d been floating around his head the past three weeks was out and he couldn’t take it back.

Mike’s hands had left his face before he’d started talking and he takes a step back at Jeff’s tone. Jeff watches him take a breath and open his mouth before closing it again.

“Okay, I told you,” Jeff says when it’s clear Mike isn’t going to speak. “What else do you want me to say?”

“Well I’d like for you to stop acting like a dick for starters, “ Mike replies. He crosses his arms across his chest, mimicking Jeff’s pose. “What do you mean you’re not staying here?”

Jeff stares back at Mike and blows out the breath he’d been holding.

“I’ve been thinking,” he starts. “About moving back home.”

Mike looks shocked.

“Moving back home? Why on earth would you do something like that,” he asks. “You’ve worked so hard to get here, Jeff. I don’t understand. 

Jeff knows it sounds crazy. It’s really only a thought he’s had, doesn’t think he’ll actually go through with it. It sounds so nice though. Taking a few months off, spending the summer with all of his friends and Mike. The thought makes him smile.

“Being here is hard,” Jeff repeats. “I don’t know if I can do it.” He stares into Mike’s eyes as he talks hoping he’ll hear him this time.

“School is going to get a lot harder and I’m questioning if I even made the right decision,” he adds. He’s rambling now. “And I don’t have anyone here. I met the guy next door, Josh, and he’s cool, but it’s not the same. He’s not Sharpy or G,” Jeff trails off. “He’s not you.”

Mike looks at him, eyes soft now and understanding.

“I get it,” Mike tells him.

“No, I really do,” he says at the noise Jeff makes. “I’m not here with you and you’re not back with me in Philly. And I miss you so much Jeff. Why do you think I asked if I could come visit already? Sharpy told me he’d buy the ticket for me if I didn’t do it myself, he was so tired at my moping—he’s pretty pissed at you by the way.” He stops talking.

Jeff can’t stand the distance between them and walks over to Mike to wrap his arms around him. Mike relaxes in his arm and feels Jeff press a kiss to the side of his head.

“I’m sorry,” Jeff says. “I’m stressed and a little scared. I shouldn’t take it out on you though.”

Mike hums at that and pulls back to look up at Jeff.

“We both need to tell each other what we’re thinking,” he says. “I shouldn’t have assumed that you wouldn’t struggle with this like I am. I’m sorry.”

“But,” he continues. “You can’t just move back home because you’re scared, Jeff. We’ll figure out a way to make it work.”

Jeff nods. Mike is right, he can’t just drop out of school. He’d probably regret it the second he was back home anyway.

They share a kiss, soft and easy. Nothing like they’d been doing before, but necessary for their comfort. When they pull apart Mike grins up at Jeff. 

“You know what this means, right,” he asks.

Jeff looks back at him warily. “Uhh..no. What does this mean?”

“It means,” Mike starts. “That we get to go to IKEA! 

\---

Jeff moans as he takes his first sip of coffee. He was having a hard time adapting to moving, but he’d been sure to figure out where the best coffee shop in his neighborhood was. He needs the coffee this morning because Mike had woke him up at an awful hour so they could drive out to the IKEA before it even opened.

“It’s what all the pros do Jeff,” Mike had said. He looked so excited that Jeff hadn’t even thought to negotiate a better hour. 

Mike drags a half-asleep Jeff out of the car and into the store, heading straight for the escalator to the second floor.

“Shouldn’t we have some kind of game plan,” Jeff asks, letting Mike drag him by the hand. “Like when are you gonna feed me?”

Mike shoots him a dirty look. 

“We _just_ had breakfast,” he replies. “And no we don’t need a game plan. We’re gonna walk around this whole place and pick out what you need.”

Jeff groans in response.

“Hey, you did this to yourself,” Mike reminds him. “If you had just bought a bed when you moved in we wouldn’t be here. But now I get to have fun so maybe it’s better this way.”

Jeff groans again.

Sure. Fun.

\---

Mike was right. He’s having a lot of fun and it’s all at Jeff’s expense.

They’d picked out a bed and dresser for the bedroom before Jeff had declared that it was time for Mike to feed him. Mike wanted to point out the huge breakfast burrito Jeff had eaten not even three hours prior, but he loves the Swedish meatballs so he's fine with the detour.

“God can you imagine the jokes Sharpy would be cracking if he was here,” Jeff says as he takes a bite of meatball.

Mike snorts.

“Yeah he’d say something about you putting balls in your mouth for sure,” he says and laughs when Jeff coughs.

“And who knows what he could say about the lingonberries,” Mike continues. He pauses to look at Jeff. “You need to talk to him.”

Jeff sighs and looks at his plate. “Yeah, I know. I’ll give him a call later.”

Mike smiles and goes back to eating.

\--- 

After lunch, Jeff turns his level of complaining up a notch and Mike takes pity on him.

“Okay look,” Mike tells him. “We just gotta walk through the kitchen section to look at bar stools and then hit the bathroom section for a storage unit and then we can go pick all this out.”

Jeff wants out as soon as possible, but Mike is doing a good job of figuring out the stuff he absolutely needs so he agrees and follows. 

He helps Mike decide which set of bar stools will work best in the kitchen and can’t help but wish Mike was moving with him instead of leaving in two days. He shakes the thought from his head quickly. Maybe in the spring, he thinks.

Once they hit the bathroom section Jeff is convinced that people who come to IKEA have a death wish. It’s the only thing that could explain why it seems like there are hundreds of things that serve the same purpose.

They’re looking at storage organizers when Mike picks one up and turns to Jeff. 

“C’mon Carts,” he says. “Haven’t had a GODMORGON with me?” He pronounces it like good morning and Jeff shoots him an unimpressed look before walking away.

“Oh come on, that was a good one!” Mike yells after him.

It was a good one. Not that Jeff will ever admit it.

\---

The rest of the trip passes by uneventfully. Jeff gives Mike a smug look when all the boxes fit easily into the back of his car.

“Admit it,” Jeff demands as he runs his hands along the side of the car. “She’s perfect”

Mike looks at him sideways. “I’m absolutely not treating the car like a real person,” he says. “But, it is a nice car.”

Jeff sighs as he gets in. “We’ll take it, won’t we girl,” he croons, still talking to the car.

Mike laughs. “I can’t believe I’m dating someone this weird,” he sighs. He pulls out his phone and opens Snapchat, taking a picture of Jeff behind the wheel.

_“Help he’s in love with his car,”_ he captions the Snap before sending it to Sharpy.

His phone buzzes as they head back to the apartment and he opens it up to read Sharpy’s response.

“ _Tell the asshole to call me,”_ is all it says over a super close-up selfie.

“Sharpy says, and I quote, ‘tell the asshole to call me,’” Mike says to Jeff. He doesn’t respond to the Snap, knowing Jeff will do it.

Jeff smiles a bit. “I’ll do it first thing when we get home. Promise.”

The way he calls the apartment home catches Mike’s attention. He hopes Jeff starts thinking of it in that way now that he’ll actually be living in it. He only wishes it was _their_ home, together and not just Jeff’s new home.

Mike pushes the thought from his head quickly. There’s no sense in getting hung up on what he can’t change. He’ll be back in Philadelphia in two days with another semester of college ahead of him in a couple months. Maybe, he thinks. Maybe things will be different next year.

\---

When they get to the apartment the first thing they do is start dragging all the boxes out and up the stairs. Josh—Jeff’s next-door neighbor— sees them and joins to help. He brings one of his buddies and they make quick work of it.

Jeff offers to have them over for beers once he’s got everything set-up and Mike is glad. They seem like good guys and Mike wants to know that Jeff has someone to hang out with once he’s gone.

True to his word, Jeff goes straight into his bedroom once they have everything inside to call Sharpy. It leaves Mike sitting on the couch staring at the TV that’s on the floor and he realizes they didn’t pick up a media console. He pulls out his phone and does a quick Google search until he finds one he likes. He orders it and haves it shipped to Jeff’s address, thinking it will be a nice surprise for after he’s gone.

After ten minutes Jeff is still in his room with the door closed. Mike would love to know what they’re talking about, but he’d never eavesdrop. Jeff will tell him if he wants to and he’s fine with that. 

Mike looks around at all the boxes and figures he might as well try and get started on his own. It gives him something to do besides stare at the bedroom door at least.

He grabs the toolbox Jeff said was in the hall closet and starts unboxing the bar stools first, figuring they would require the least amount of work.

He finds that he’s right and it only takes him about 15 minutes to screw together the pieces for the three bar stools. He’s surprised that Jeff still isn’t out yet, but figures he can keep working in the meantime.

Mike’s luck runs out after he’s unboxed all of the pieces to the coffee table and he can’t figure out what one of the pictures is telling him to do.

“What piece even is that,” he grumbles under his breath. “All of these look the same, how am I supposed to know!”

Mike’s head snaps up when he hears Jeff clear his throat. He’s in the kitchen leaning against one of the barstools Mike had just built.

“Need some help there?” Jeff asks, sounding like he’s holding back a laugh.

Mike rolls his eyes. “Yes, I’d love some help building _your_ coffee table,” he snarks back. “How nice of you to offer, sweetheart.”

Jeff openly laughs at him now. “Hey, this was your bright idea,” he reminds him. He makes his way over to where Mike has all the pieces laid out and sits down on the floor.

Mike glances at him. Jeff seems a lot more relaxed than he’d been when he went into the room and Mike wants to know what they talked about, but also doesn’t want to pry.

“How’s Sharpy,” he asks, trying to sound nonchalant as he stares at the instructions. 

Jeff smiles, seeing right through him. “He’s good,” is all he responds with though.

“Oh,” Mike says. “That’s good.” He really was hoping Jeff would share at least a little of what Sharpy had said.

“He called me an asshole,” Jeff goes on. “Lots and lots of times,”

Mike snorts. “Well, he’s not wrong.”

Jeff keeps smiling. “I know. He had many points and examples to back himself up.”

Mike nods, finally having figured out what the instructions were trying to tell him.

“Can you hand me that piece near your foot?” Mike asks, reaching his hand out.

Jeff passes it over but grabs Mike’s wrist to stop him from moving any further.

“I’m sorry,” he tells Mike. “I’ll make the most out of this I promise.”

Mike blinks before leaning into Jeff to kiss him. “You don’t owe me an apology,” Mike says, kissing Jeff again. “But thank you.” 

Jeff is grinning now. “No, Sharpy was very clear on what I should do. It was apologies then sex, he said I couldn’t do it the other way round.”

Mike stares back at Jeff, his eyes narrowing. “Is that what he said?” he asks. “Huh. Did you tell him your mattress is laying on the floor and that I said no sex until you had a bed frame?”

Jeff’s grin turns sheepish. “Yeah, I uh might have mentioned about the bed. Not about what you said though, do you actually _want_ to give him any more material to work with?”

Mike thinks.

“Okay, you have a point there,” he notes. “My statement still stands though. And at the rate this coffee table building is going, I doubt you’ll have a bed until tomorrow.”

Jeff chokes on the swig of beer he’s drinking. “You’re not actually serious.”

Mike pounds him on the back. “Oh, I’m as serious as a heart attack, baby. Now get to work, we have a table to build.” 

Jeff stares at Mike as he gets back to work. Mike may be a pain in his ass sometimes, but he loves him even more for it.

\--- 

Two hours later they’re sprawled across the couch eating Chinese takeout straight from the containers. Jeff does own plates (thank you very much) but even Mike agreed that would be more trouble than it was worth.

“I can’t believe it took us two hours to build this damn thing,” Jeff says, referencing the coffee table where his feet currently rest. “I hate this table.”

Mike hums in agreement. “Yeah, I’ll admit it. This was my worst idea I’ve had in awhile.”

Jeff’s “I told you so,” is weak because even though he was right it doesn’t mean anything now. They still have all the boxes the bed came in to put together.

“Can we just go to bed?” Mike asks, already looking half asleep.

Jeff looks over at him. “You said no sex until the bed was together,” he reminds Mike. “Your words. Not mine.”

Mike opens both of his eyes. “I’ll take it all back if that means I can be on that mattress in the next 60 seconds. 

“Oh yeah?” Jeff smirks, lifting an eyebrow.

“Oh yeah,” Mike replies, already standing over Jeff who’s still seated.

Jeff is up immediately and tugs on Mike’s wrist to get him to move faster. 

They make to Jeff’s room in under 60 seconds.

Mike takes it all back.

**Author's Note:**

> i love happy richiecarts and i love love. hope you enjoyed :)
> 
> title is from "i found you" by james bay
> 
> also it's 2018 and i still miss patrick sharp.


End file.
